GOOD early rains and a positive meteorological outlook for April to June are making 2020 the ideal season to grow long-maturity wheat Catapult, according to breeder Australian Grain Technologies.
Catapult was developed from AGT's benchmark variety Mace and shows the same high yield and wide adaptation characteristics, but with longer maturity.
It can be viewed as a longer-season Scepter, as with its unique maturity, Catapult takes longer to reach flowering than Scepter, so it can be sown earlier.
AGT wheat breeder Dion Bennett, who is based in Northam, said the grain had excellent physical characteristics and was an ideal choice for early sowing this year.
"Catapult has earned the Australian Hard (AH) quality classification in Western Australia which is the highest delivery grade for wheat in this State," Dr Bennett said.
"This helps growers to maximise their returns if their grain makes the grade."
Doodlakine grower Matthew Steber grew a small Catapult crop last season and appreciates the earlier sowing opportunity.
"We planted Catapult at the end of the first week of May last year and it yielded very well given the season," Mr Steber said.
"The quality was also excellent, we were on less than one per cent screenings, protein was fine and all its quality parameters were fine."
Catapult gives growers a very flexible sowing window, including the ability to dry sow it if there is no rain until the first few weeks of May, however the variety thrives when planted in late April.
Mr Steber said it was nice to have a variety they could utilise for sowing from the traditional Anzac Day date.
"It gives you a good three weeks, whereas if you plant Scepter on May 10, then that's still a bit too early," Mr Steber said.
"We have a large program and having a variety that's suited to planting at the end of April or in the first weeks of May means my wheat sowing window can be longer."
Last year, Mr Steber planted one tonne of Catapult on 40 hectares to bulk up seed supplies for his local distributor - he harvested 73 tonnes and has reserved 25t to plant again this season.
Condingup farmer Con Murphy, Warakirri Cropping, also planted Catapult last season, sowing 25 hectares of the new variety.
"We're in a high-rainfall area and we planted it into moisture on May, 14 which is pretty late for us," Mr Murphy said.
"Its vigour from the start was really good, it came out of the ground quickly and it never looked back.
"We had a pretty dry season so the grain was a little bit lighter than I'd like but the yield was good, Catapult out-yielded Scepter by 10 per cent on this farm."
Mr Murphy plans to sow 300 hectares of Catapult this season.
Commercial supplies of Catapult seed are available through local AGT affiliates.
